Powder container and image forming apparatus

ABSTRACT

A powder container that is detachably installed in a container housing unit of an image forming apparatus includes a container body including an opening located at a head of the container body, and an engaging part located at a bottom of the container body, the engaging part being engaged with an engagement receiving part of the container housing unit; a drive transferring member that rotates integrally with the container body; and a lid including a discharge outlet that further discharges powder discharged from the opening of the container body, and a shutter that opens and closes the discharge outlet. A position of the powder container in the container housing unit is determined by engaging the engaging part with the engagement receiving part, and operating the lid such that the shutter opens the discharge outlet.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a powder container that is detachablyattached to a body of an image forming apparatus to replenish powdersuch as toner consumed during an image forming process, and an imageforming apparatus including the powder container.

BACKGROUND ART

An image forming apparatus such as a composite machine has at least twofunctions of a printer, a copier, or a fax machine. Toner is consumedwhen the image forming apparatus is used; thus, the toner needs to besuccessively replenished into a developing unit according to the amountof consumption. The toner is typically replenished into the developingunit from a toner container such as a toner cartridge or a toner bottle.When the toner container is empty, it is replaced with a new one.

There is known a cylindrical toner bottle for replenishing toner intothe developing unit of the conventional image forming apparatus, such asthat disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2000-338758(hereinafter referred to as “first document”).

In the first document, the toner bottle is set in the body of the imageforming apparatus (hereinafter, “apparatus body”) as follows.

First, a user pulls out a holding stand of a toner replenishing unit ofthe apparatus body, and takes out the empty bottle existing on theholding stand. The user then sets a new toner bottle sideways in theholding stand. The user pushes the holding stand with the new tonerbottle into the back of the toner replenishing unit. Accordingly, aconvex part provided on the bottom of the toner bottle engages with ajoint part at the back of the toner replenishing unit. This fixes theposition of the toner bottle in the toner replenishing unit.

Spiral protrusions are provided on the inner circumferential surface ofthe toner bottle. Thus, when the joint part is rotatably driven and thetoner bottle is rotated, toner contained in the toner bottle isdischarged from an opening. The toner discharged from the toner bottleis replenished to the developing unit.

The toner bottle constructed as above is relatively low-cost in thatfewer components are used as compared to a toner container with aconveying member such as an agitator inside. Moreover, the above tonerbottle is useful for recycling purposes, because it has a higher levelof mechanical strength as compared to a bag-shaped toner container.

Because a user exchanges the toner container, the toner container shouldbe easy to exchange, and toner scattering should be prevented so as notto soil hands and clothes of the user. Moreover, toner density becomesuneven if a stable amount of toner is not constantly discharged from thetoner container and replenished into the developing unit. This can causedeterioration in image quality, such as blurring or uneven colors.Therefore, a stable amount of toner needs to be discharged from thetoner container to the toner replenishing unit.

Various toner containers have been proposed and implemented to meet suchdemands. A well known example is a cylindrical toner bottle that has aspiral toner conveying part as disclosed in, for example, JapanesePatent Application Laid Open No. 2004-139031 (hereinafter referred to as“second document”).

On one end of this toner bottle is a mouth (opening) that has a smallerdiameter than the spiral-shaped bottle body. This toner bottle is set inthe apparatus body so that the bottle axis is substantially horizontal.Moreover, this type of toner bottle discharges toner from the mouth(opening) by being rotated. Furthermore, the toner bottle can be setfrom above the apparatus, and a grasping part (handle) is provided onthe toner bottle. Thus, a user can easily set the toner bottle only byusing his fingers.

FIG. 20 is a diagram of the toner container with the grasping part(handle) and the spiral toner conveying part.

As shown in FIG. 20, a toner container 101 includes a cylindricalcontainer body 102, a cylindrical discharge member (lid) 110 that isattached to a mouth (opening) 103 of the container body 102, and agrasping part (handle) 111 is provided on the discharge member (lid)110. The container body 102 is connected to the discharge member (lid)110 by engagement of a projecting part 104 along the outer circumferenceof the container body 102 near the mouth (opening) 103 with a claw part112 formed on the discharge member (lid) 110. Accordingly, the dischargemember (lid) 110 and the container body 102 can be rotated integrally.The projecting part 104 and the claw part 112 are to be engaged with agap within a fit tolerance (about 0.01 mm to 0.2 mm) used in machinedesigning, so that the discharge member (lid) 110 and the container body102 can be rotated. An elastic member 113 such as foamed polyurethanewith a thickness of 3 mm is attached to the discharge member (lid) 110.Therefore, as the side surface of the mouth (opening) 103 of thecontainer body 102 is pressed against the elastic member 113, toner isprevented from leaking from where the container body 102 and thedischarge member (lid) 110 contact each other.

The container body 102 of the toner container 101 is rotatably driven bya gear 106. Accordingly, toner stored inside is conveyed towards themouth (opening) 103 by force of a spiral toner conveying part 105, andthe toner is discharged out of a replenishing opening (not shown)provided on the circumferential surface of the discharge member (lid)110. To rotate the container body 102, a predetermined gap is providedin the cylindrical direction of the toner container 101 where thedischarge member (lid) 110 overlaps with the container body 102 (in theexample in FIG. 21, a 2 mm gap is provided in a radial direction). Inother words, the toner container 101 is provided with a gap ΔL ofsubstantially 2 mm in the radial direction where the discharge member(lid) 110 overlaps with the container body 102.

However, in the conventional technology disclosed in the first document,a user cannot clearly feel a mechanical click when attaching the tonerbottle to the apparatus body. Thus, there is a possibility that thetoner bottle is not set properly.

Specifically, when the user sets the toner bottle on the holding standpulled out from the toner replenishing unit, the user cannot feel safeand sure that the toner bottle is set properly. Only after the userpushes the holding stand with the toner bottle into the tonerreplenishing unit, the user can feel safe and sure that the toner bottleis set properly.

This means that there is a possibility that the toner bottle is not setproperly when the toner bottle is being set on the holding stand. If theholding stand is pushed into the toner replenishing unit with the tonerbottle not properly set, components of the toner replenishing unit orthe toner bottle can break. Moreover, if the toner bottle does notengage with the joint, toner might not be replenished properly.

The toner container with the grasping part (handle) and the spiral tonerconveying part disclosed in the second document has the followingproblem. When a user sets the toner container 101 shown in FIGS. 20, 21into the image forming apparatus, the user holds it with the graspingpart (handle) 111 to hold the whole toner container. The grasping part(handle) 111 is located on the discharge member (lid) 110 at one end ofthe toner container 101, and there is the gap within a fit tolerancebetween the toner container 101 and the discharge member (lid) 110.Thus, the toner container 101 is only held at one end, and the containerbody 102 tilts downward. In other words, because of the weight of thecontainer body 102 including the toner stored, the bottom side oppositeto the discharge member (lid) 110 tilts downward. As a result, arotational central axis C1 of the container body 102 deviates from acentral axis C2 of the discharge member (lid) 110, as shown in FIG. 21.In this state, the container body 102 can loosen from the dischargemember (lid) 110, and a gap can be formed in between. If the tonercontainer 101 is attached to the apparatus body in such state, tonerleaks out and scatters from the loose part or the gap, by a shock causedby the attachment. In some cases, the toner might be saved from leakingfrom the loose part. However, if the rotational central axis of thecontainer body 102 is tilted when the toner container 101 is attached tothe apparatus body, the gear 106 deviates from the rotational centralaxis. This creates a fluctuation and increases a rotational torque ofdriving the apparatus body.

The present invention is made in view of the above. An object of thepresent invention is to provide a powder container and an image formingapparatus with which a user can clearly feel a mechanical click whenattaching the container to the body of the image forming apparatus.Moreover, the object of the present invention is to ensure that thepowder container is set properly, so that the rotational central axis ofthe container body is prevented from deviating from the central axis ofthe discharge member (lid part), to prevent powder scattering and atorque increase, with a simple construction. In other words, the objectof the present invention is to provide a powder container and an imageforming apparatus, such that the powder container is surely attached tothe body of the image forming apparatus.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to at least solve the problemsin the conventional technology.

A powder container according to one aspect of the present invention,which is detachably installed in a container housing unit of an imageforming apparatus, includes an opening located at a head of thecontainer body, and an engaging part located at a bottom of thecontainer body, the engaging part being engaged with an engagementreceiving part of the container housing unit; a drive transferringmember that rotates integrally with the container body; and a lidincluding a discharge outlet that further discharges powder dischargedfrom the opening of the container body, and a shutter that opens andcloses the discharge outlet. A position of the powder container in thecontainer housing unit is determined by engaging the engaging part withthe engagement receiving part, and operating the lid such that theshutter opens the discharge outlet.

An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the presentinvention includes a powder container that includes a container bodyincluding an opening located at a head of the container body, and anengaging part located at a bottom of the container body, the engagingpart being engaged with an engagement receiving part of the containerhousing unit; a drive transferring member that rotates integrally withthe container body; and a lid including a discharge outlet that furtherdischarges powder discharged from the opening of the container body, anda shutter that opens and closes the discharge outlet. A position of thepowder container in the container housing unit is determined by engagingthe engaging part with the engagement receiving part, and operating thelid such that the shutter opens the discharge outlet. The powdercontainer is detachably installed in the container housing unit. Thecontainer housing unit includes the engagement receiving part with whichthe engaging part of the powder container is engaged.

A powder container according to still another aspect of the presentinvention includes a container body including a conveying part thatconveys powder stored in the container body towards an opening of thecontainer body; and a lid that supports the container body such that thecontainer body is rotatable, and discharges the powder discharged fromthe opening through a discharge outlet. The lid includes a contactingpart that makes a contact with the opening; and a preventing part thatprevents a gap from forming between the opening and the contacting part.The powder container is installed in an image forming apparatus byfixing the lid to the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus according to still another aspect of thepresent invention includes a powder container that includes a containerbody including a conveying part that conveys powder stored in thecontainer body towards an opening of the container body; and a lid thatsupports the container body such that the container body is rotatable,and discharges the powder discharged from the opening through adischarge outlet. The lid includes a contacting part that makes acontact with the opening, and a preventing part that prevents a gap fromforming between the opening and the contacting part. The powdercontainer in which toner is contained can be installed the image formingapparatus. The powder container is installed in an image formingapparatus by fixing the lid to the image forming apparatus.

The other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention arespecifically set forth in or will become apparent from the followingdetailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall diagram of an image forming apparatus according toa first embodiment and a second embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming unit in the imageforming apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner bottle set in the image formingapparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from below of the toner bottle according tothe first embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a head side of the toner bottleaccording to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the toner bottle according to the firstembodiment and the second embodiment, loaded onto a bottle housing unit;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle according to thefirst embodiment being loaded onto the bottle housing unit;

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle according to thefirst embodiment loaded onto another example of the bottle housing unit;

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle according to thefirst embodiment loaded onto still another example of the bottle housingunit;

FIG. 9 is a front view of a case of the toner bottle according to thefirst embodiment being loaded onto the bottle housing unit;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the case of the toner bottle according to thefirst embodiment shown in FIG. 9 being rotated on the bottle housingunit;

FIG. 11 is a front view of the case of the toner bottle according to thefirst embodiment shown in FIG. 10 after being rotated;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the toner bottles according to thefirst embodiment connected to toner conveying units;

FIG. 13 is another perspective view of the toner bottles according tothe first embodiment connected to the toner conveying units;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a side of an opening ofthe toner bottle according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view inside a case (bottle cap) of the tonerbottle according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a part where abottle body of the toner bottle and the case overlap, when held,according to another embodiment of the second embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of the part where thebottle body of the toner bottle and the case overlap, when set,according to the other embodiment of the second embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view inside a case of the toner bottleaccording to still another embodiment of the second embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of the part where thebottle body of the toner bottle and the case overlap, when set,according to the still another embodiment of the second embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional block diagram of a conventional tonerbottle in a separated state; and

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional block diagram of the conventional tonerbottle in an assembled state.

BEST MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A powder container and an image forming apparatus that are best modesfor carrying out the present invention will be described below in detailwith reference to accompanying drawings. Common or correspondingcomponents are denoted by the same reference numerals and overlappingdescriptions are simplified or omitted. The present invention is notlimited to these embodiments.

An image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment is describedbelow. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams for describing the overallconstruction and operations of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 1 is adiagram of a printer as the image forming apparatus and FIG. 2 is anenlarged diagram of an image forming unit in the printer.

As shown in FIG. 1, four toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32Kcorresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively, aredetachably set in a bottle housing unit 31 located at the top part in abody of the image forming apparatus (hereinafter, “apparatus body”) 100.

An intermediate transfer unit 15 is provided below the bottle housingunit 31. Image forming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K corresponding to yellow,magenta, cyan, and black, respectively, are aligned facing anintermediate transfer belt 8 of the intermediate transfer unit 15.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 6Y corresponding to yellowincludes a photoconductive drum 1Y, and a charging unit 4Y, a developingunit 5Y, a cleaning unit 2Y, a destaticizing unit (not shown), and soforth, arranged around the photoconductive drum 1Y. An image formingprocess (charging step, exposing step, developing step, transferringstep, cleaning step) is performed on the photoconductive drum 1Y, and ayellow image is formed on the photoconductive drum 1Y.

The three other image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K have substantiallythe same construction as the image forming unit 6Y corresponding toyellow, except that each uses a different color toner and forms andifferent color image. Thus, descriptions of the three other imageforming units 6M, 6C, and 6K are omitted, and only the image formingunit 6Y corresponding to yellow is described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the photoconductive drum 1Y is rotatably driven by adriving motor (not shown) in a direction indicated by an arrow R1 inFIG. 2. The surface of the photoconductive drum 1Y is uniformly chargedat the position of the charging unit 4Y (charging step).

Subsequently, at a position where a laser beam L is irradiated from anexposing unit 7 to the surface of the photoconductive drum 1Y, anelectrostatic latent image for yellow is formed on the surface of thephotoconductive drum 1Y by exposing/scanning (exposing step).

Subsequently, at a position where the surface of the photoconductivedrum 1Y faces the developing unit 5Y, the electrostatic latent image isdeveloped, and a yellow toner image is formed (developing step).

Subsequently, at a position where the surface of the photoconductivedrum 1Y faces the intermediate transfer belt 8 and a firsttransfer-bias-roller 9Y, the toner image is transferred from thephotoconductive drum 1Y to the intermediate transfer belt 8 (firsttransferring step). At this step, a marginal amount of toner is nottransferred and remains on the photoconductive drum 1Y.

Subsequently, at a position where the surface of the photoconductivedrum 1Y faces the cleaning unit 2Y, a blade 2 a collects the tonerremaining on the photoconductive drum 1Y (cleaning step).

Finally, at a position where the surface of the photoconductive drum 1Yfaces the destaticizing unit (not shown), electric potential remainingon the photoconductive drum 1Y is removed.

Accordingly, the image forming process performed on the photoconductivedrum 1Y ends.

The three other image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K perform the sameimage forming process performed by the yellow image forming unit 6Y asdescribed above. Specifically, in each of the image forming units 6M,6C, and 6K, the laser beam L based on image information is irradiatedfrom the exposing unit 7 provided below the image forming unit to thephotoconductive drum. More specifically, the exposing unit 7 emits thelaser beam L from a light source, reflects the laser beam L by rotatinga polygon mirror, and irradiates the laser beam L onto thephotoconductive drum through a plurality of optical elements.

Subsequently, each toner image formed on each photoconductive drum atthe developing step is transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 8so as to be superposed on each other. As a result, a full-color tonerimage is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer unit 15 includes theintermediate transfer belt 8, four first transfer-bias-rollers 9Y, 9M,9C, and 9K, a second transfer back-up roller 12, a cleaning back-uproller 13, a tension roller 14, an intermediate-transfer cleaning-unit10, and so forth. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched acrossand supported by three rollers 12 to 14. Moreover, rotation of thesecond transfer back-up roller 12 causes the intermediate transfer belt8 to rotate endlessly in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1.

Each of the four first transfer-bias-rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9Ksandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 with each of thephotoconductive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, respectively, forming firsttransfer nips. As a result, a transfer bias of a polarity opposite tothat of toner is applied to each of the first transfer-bias-rollers 9Y,9M, 9C, and 9K.

The intermediate transfer belt 8 rotates in the direction indicated bythe arrow, and sequentially passes each of the first transfer nips ofthe first transfer-bias-rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K. As a result, eachtoner image of the corresponding color on each photoconductive drum 1Y,1M, 1C, and 1K is transferred (first transfer) and superposed onto theintermediate transfer belt 8.

Subsequently, at a position where the intermediate transfer belt 8 withthe superposed toner images faces a second transfer roller 19, thesecond transfer back-up roller 12 sandwiches the intermediate transferbelt 8 with the second transfer roller 19, forming a second transfernip. The full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt8 is then transferred onto a transfer material P such as transfer paperthat is conveyed to the second transfer nip. At this step, a marginalamount of toner is not transferred to the transfer material P andremains on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

Subsequently, at the intermediate-transfer cleaning-unit 10, the tonerremaining on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is collected.

Accordingly, a transfer process performed on the intermediate transferbelt 8 ends.

The transfer material P conveyed to the second transfer nip is conveyedfrom a paper feed unit 26 located at the bottom part in the apparatusbody 100, through a paper feeding roller 27 and a pair of registrationrollers 28.

Specifically, a plurality of transfer materials P such as transfer paperis stacked in the paper feed unit 26. When the paper feeding roller 27is rotatably driven in a direction indicated by an arrow R2(anti-clockwise) in FIG. 1, the top transfer material P is fed from apaper feed port 26 a towards the pair of registration rollers 28.

The pair of registration rollers 28 stops rotating so that the transfermaterial P stops in a roller nip of the pair of registration rollers 28.As the full-color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8 approachesthe second transfer nip, the pair of registration rollers 28 startsrotating to convey the transfer material P into the second transfer nipin synchronization with the full-color toner image. At this time, atransfer bias (voltage) of a polarity opposite to that of the toner ofthe full-color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transferbelt 8 is applied to the second transfer roller 19. As a result, thefull-color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt8 is transferred at once onto the transfer material P. Accordingly, theintended color image is transferred onto the transfer material P.

After the color image is transferred onto the transfer material P at thesecond transfer nip, the transfer material P is conveyed to a fixingunit 20. In the fixing unit 20, a fixing roller and a pressurizingroller apply heat and pressure to the transfer material P to fix thetransferred color image onto the transfer material P.

Subsequently, the transfer material P is conveyed outside the apparatusthrough a pair of paper ejecting rollers 29. A plurality of the transfermaterials P ejected outside the apparatus by the pair of paper ejectingrollers 29 is sequentially stacked on a cover 30 as output images.

Accordingly, an image forming process performed by the image formingapparatus ends.

The above description is an image forming operation for forming afull-color image on the transfer material P. However, the image formingoperation can be performed by using only one, two, or three of the imageforming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, to form a monochrome image, a 2-colorimage or a 3-color image.

Next, constructions and operations of the developing unit 5Y in theimage forming unit 6Y is described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The developing unit 5Y includes a developing roller 51Y facing thephotoconductive drum 1Y, a doctor blade 52Y facing the developing roller51Y, two conveying screws 55Y provided inside developer containers 53Y,54Y, a toner replenishing unit 58Y that communicates to the developercontainer 54Y through an opening, a density detecting sensor 56Y thatdetects a toner density in a developer, and so forth. The developingroller 51Y includes a magnet fixed inside, and a sleeve that rotatesaround the magnet, etc. A two-component developer including carriers andtoner is stored in the developer containers 53Y, 54Y.

The developing unit 5Y with the above construction operates as follows.

The sleeve in the developing roller 51Y rotates in a direction indicatedby an arrow in FIG. 2. The magnet in the developing roller 51Y forms amagnetic field. As the sleeve rotates, the magnetic field causes adeveloper carried on the developing roller 51Y to move on the developingroller 51Y.

In the developing unit 5Y, a proportion of toner included in thedeveloper (toner density) is adjusted to be within a predeterminedrange. Specifically, as toner is consumed in the developing unit 5Y, thetoner in the toner bottle 32Y is replenished into the developercontainer 54Y, through a toner conveying pipe 43Y of a toner conveyingunit (see FIG. 12) and the toner replenishing unit 58Y. Theconstructions and operations of the toner bottle 32Y are described laterin detail.

Subsequently, the toner replenished in the developer container 54Y isstirred and mixed with the developer by the two conveying screws 55Y,and is circulated to and fro the two developer containers 53Y, 54Y(movement in a horizontal direction as viewed in FIG. 2). The toner inthe developer is friction-charged with the carriers so as to adhere tothe carries. The toner adhering to the carriers is then carried on thedeveloping roller 51Y by magnetic force on the developing roller 51Y.

The developer carried on the developing roller 51Y is conveyed in thedirection indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2, and reaches a positionfacing the doctor blade 52Y. The amount of the developer carried on thedeveloping roller 51Y is adjusted appropriately by the doctor blade 52Y.The appropriate amount of developer is then conveyed to a positionfacing the photoconductive drum 1Y (developing area). An electric fieldformed in the developing area causes toner to adhere to a latent imageformed on the photoconductive drum 1Y. As the sleeve continues rotating,the developer remaining on the developing roller 51Y reaches the toppart of the developer container 53Y, where the developer comes off thedeveloping roller 51Y.

Next, the toner bottle that supplies toner to the developing device isdescribed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 13.

As was described with FIG. 1, the four toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and32K are detachably set in the bottle housing unit 31. At the end of alife of each toner bottle 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K (when almost all of thetoner stored is consumed and the bottle is empty), the toner bottle isexchanged with a new toner bottle. Accordingly, toner of a colorcorresponding to each toner bottle 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K is replenishedinto the developing unit of each image forming unit 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K.

First, a construction of the toner bottle is described with reference toFIGS. 3 to 5.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toner bottle 32Y. FIG. 4 is aperspective view of the toner bottle 32Y viewed from below. FIG. 5 is across-sectional view of the head side of the toner bottle 32Y.

The three other toner bottles 32M, 32C, and 32K have substantially thesame construction as the toner bottle 32Y containing yellow toner,except that each contains a different color toner. Thus, descriptions ofthe three other toner bottles 32M, 32C, and 32K are omitted, and onlythe toner bottle 32Y containing yellow toner is described below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main components of the toner bottle 32Y are abottle body 33Y and a case 34Y (bottle cap) functioning as a lidprovided on the head of the bottle body 33Y.

The head of the bottle body 33Y has a gear 37Y, as a drive transferringmember, that rotates integrally with the bottle body 33Y, and an openingC (refer to FIG. 5). The gear 37Y meshes with a driving gear of theapparatus body 100 to rotate the bottle body 33Y in a directionindicated by an arrow, around a rotational axis A as shown in FIG. 3.Toner stored in the bottle body 33Y is discharged through the opening Cto a space in the case 34Y.

As shown in FIG. 4, a concaving, circular engaging part 63Y is formed ata bottom part 62Y of the bottle body 33Y. The engaging part 63Y engageswith a convex part 61Y formed on a side wall of the bottle housing unit31.

As shown in FIG. 5, spiral protrusions 33 a protrude from the outercircumferential surface into the inner circumferential surface of thebottle body 33Y. The spiral protrusions 33 a are provided to rotate thebottle body 33Y to discharge toner out of the opening C.

The bottle body 33Y and the gear 37Y constructed as above can bemanufactured by blow molding.

As shown in FIG. 3, a handle 35Y for manually rotating the case 34Y, atoner outlet D (refer to FIG. 5) for discharging toner from the tonerbottle 32Y, and a shutter 36Y for opening and closing the toner outletD, are provided on the circumferential surface of the case 34Y.

As shown in FIG. 5, the shutter 36Y engages with a guide part 34 b onthe case 34Y, and moves along the guide part 34 b on the circumferentialsurface of the case 34Y, so as to open and close the toner outlet D. Aspring 44 is provided on one end of the shutter 36Y. The urging force ofthe spring 44 causes the shutter 36Y to close the toner outlet D.

As shown in FIG. 3, on a side of the case 34Y is provided a fitting part38Y, formed of long and short straight walls and a curved wall. Thefitting part 38Y fits onto a convex part 39Y formed on another side wallof the bottle housing unit 31.

As shown in FIG. 5, a projection 34 a of the case 34Y constructed asabove is pushed in between the gear 37Y and a rim part 33 b of thebottle body 33Y. In other words, the case 34Y and the bottle body 33Yare assembled to be relatively rotated with respect to each other in acircumferential direction. Accordingly, the case 34Y can be manuallyrotated when setting the bottle and the bottle body 33Y can be rotatablydriven when replenishing toner, which will be described later.

Next, an operation for attaching/detaching the toner bottle 32Y to/fromthe bottle housing unit 31 is described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the yellow toner bottle 32Y loaded ontothe bottle housing unit 31 (in a direction indicated by an arrow E).FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 cut along a line Z-Z. FIGS. 9to 11 are front views of motions of the case 34Y for setting the bottle.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bottle housing unit 31 has four bottle housingparts 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K corresponding to the four toner bottles32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K. Each of the four bottle housing parts 31Y, 31M,31C, and 31K has the part 61 that engages with the engaging part of thebottle body, and the part (not shown) that fits with the fitting part ofthe case.

When attaching the toner bottle 32Y to the bottle housing unit 31 of theapparatus body 100, the cover 30 shown in FIG. 1 is firstly openedupwards to expose the bottle housing unit 31.

Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the toner bottle 32Y is mountedon the bottle housing part 31Y (in the direction indicated by thearrows). The toner bottle 32Y is set so that the engaging part 63Y onthe bottom part 62Y of the bottle body 33Y engages with the part 61Y ofthe bottle housing part 31Y. At the same time, the toner bottle 32Y isset so that the straight wall of the fitting part 38Y provided on theside of the case 34Y slides along the part 39Y of the bottle housingpart 31Y (refer to FIGS. 9 and 10). Accordingly, the toner bottle 32Y isfit in between the part 61Y and the part 39Y. This can restrict, to someextent, the toner bottle 32Y from trembling in a longitudinal direction.

Because the engaging part 63Y is concaved, the toner bottle 32Y canstand up with the bottom part 62Y at the bottom. This facilitates theprocess of filling toner into the toner bottle 32Y at a factory, andincreases the degree of freedom in storing stock of toner bottles at auser's location, a factory, or a sales subsidiary.

In the present embodiment, the part 61Y that is a cylindrical shape andthe engaging part 63Y that is a concave circular shape are engaged, sothat the bottom of the toner bottle 32Y does not lift from the wall ofthe bottle housing unit 31. However, the shapes of the part 61Y and theengaging part 63Y are not limited to these examples; for example, theycan be shaped as shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B. In FIG. 8A, the part 61Y has atapering shape that is engaged with the concave engaging part 63Y. InFIG. 8B, the part 61Y includes a plate 61Ya that is a circular disk or across-shaped disk that is engaged with the concave engaging part 63Y.Moreover, the engaging part 63Y can be a concave and tapering shape (notshown).

After the toner bottle 32Y is set as shown in FIG. 7, a user grasps thehandle 35Y of the toner bottle 32Y, and rotates the case 34Y.Accordingly, the position of the toner bottle 32Y is finally set in thebottle housing part 31Y.

Motions of the case 34Y for setting the toner bottle 32Y are describedbelow.

As shown in FIG. 9, the case 34Y is mounted so that the straight wall ofthe fitting part 38Y slides along the part 39Y of the bottle housingpart 31Y (in a direction indicated by an arrow E). As described withFIGS. 6 and 7, the engaging part 63Y of the bottle body 33Y engages withthe part 61Y of the bottle housing part 31Y.

When the toner bottle 32Y is set on the bottle housing part 31Y, thestraight wall of the fitting part 38Y is in contact with the part 39Y ofthe bottle housing part 31Y, as shown in FIG. 10. The shutter 36Y of thecase 34Y is urged by the spring 44 to a position that blocks the toneroutlet D (locked at a position of a first stopper 45 a).

From the position shown in FIG. 10, the handle 35Y is moved in adirection indicated by an arrow F. Accordingly, the case 34Y rotates inthe direction indicated by the arrow F. The case 34Y stops rotating whena part of the wall of the fitting part 38Y is blocked by the part 39Y(as shown in FIG. 11).

The toner outlet D is rotated as the case 34Y is rotated, and finallystops at the bottom position (as shown in FIG. 11). Moreover, rotationof the shutter 36Y is blocked by a stopping part 31 a of the bottlehousing part 31Y. Thus, an edge of the shutter 36Y presses against thespring 44 that is held by a second stopper 45 b at one end, so that theshutter 36Y opens the toner outlet D.

As the shutter 36Y opens the toner outlet D when the case 34Y isrotated, the fitting part 38Y fits to the part 39Y, so that the positionof the toner bottle 32Y is fixed in the bottle housing part 31Y.

Therefore, a user clearly feels a mechanical click when attaching thetoner bottle 32Y, so that he knows that the toner bottle 32Y has beenset. This prevents the user from failing to properly set the tonerbottle 32Y. This prevents toner from not being replenished properly, andprevents components of the toner bottle 32Y and the bottle housing part31Y from breaking.

Particularly, because the engaging part 63Y engages with the part 61Y atthe bottom part 62Y of the toner bottle 32Y, the bottom part 62Y isprevented from lifting when the bottle body 33Y is rotatably driven.When the bottle body 33Y is rotatably driven, the engaging part 63Y andthe part 61Y are rubbed against each other; therefore, the engaging part63Y and the part 61Y are preferably made of a material with a lowfriction coefficient.

When the toner bottle 32Y is removed from the bottle housing part 31Y, auser performs a procedure opposite to the procedure of attaching thetoner bottle 32Y. Specifically, the user rotates the handle 35Y of thetoner bottle 32Y in the opposite direction (opposite to the directionindicated by the arrow F in FIG. 11). Accordingly, the fitting part 38Yof the case 34Y is released from the part 39Y of the bottle housing part31Y. At the same time, the shutter 36Y moves relatively and closes thetoner outlet D. The user holds the handle 35Y while he releases theengaging part 63Y from the part 61Y, and pulls out the toner bottle 32Yupwards.

Next, the toner conveying unit that conveys toner from inside the tonerbottle 32Y set in the bottle housing unit 31 to the developing unit 5Yis described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C,and 32K set in the bottle housing unit 31 and connected to tonerconveying units 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K, respectively. FIG. 13 is a sideperspective view of the toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K connectedto the toner conveying units 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K, respectively. Thebottle housing unit 31 is omitted from FIGS. 12 and 13.

The toner conveying units 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K are fixed next to theintermediate transfer unit 15 (at the back of the apparatus body 100).The toner outlets of toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K and the tonerreplenishing unit 58Y of the developing unit 5Y are positioned next tothe intermediate transfer unit 15.

The four toner conveying units 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K have the sameconstruction except that each conveys a different color toner. Thus,only the toner conveying unit 40Y for conveying yellow toner isdescribed.

As shown in FIG. 12, the toner conveying unit 40Y mainly includes adriving motor 41Y and a driving gear 42Y functioning as a driving unit,and the toner conveying pipe 43Y. Inside the toner conveying pipe 43Y isa flexible conveying coil (not shown). The driving gear 42Y meshes withthe gear 37Y (drive transferring member) of the toner bottle 32Y. Thus,when the driving gear 42Y is driven, the bottle body 33Y of the tonerbottle 32Y is rotated.

The bottle body 33Y is rotated to discharge toner in accordance withconsumption of toner in the developing unit 5Y. Specifically, when thedensity detecting sensor 56Y in the developing unit 5Y shown in FIG. 2detects a shortage in toner density in the developer container 54Y, thedriving motor 41Y is activated by signals from a control unit.

As described earlier, the spiral protrusions 33 a are formed on theinner surface of the bottle body 33Y of the toner bottle 32Y.Accordingly, as the bottle body 33Y rotates, the toner is conveyed fromthe bottom part 62Y of the bottle body 33Y to the case 34Y at the headof the bottle body 33Y. Then the toner is discharged from the opening Cof the bottle body 33Y, passes through the space in the case 34Y, and isdischarged outside the bottle from the toner outlet D.

The toner discharged from the toner bottle 32Y drops to a tonerreceiving part (not shown) in the toner conveying unit 40Y. The tonerreceiving part communicates to the toner conveying pipe 43Y. Byactivating the driving motor 41Y, the bottle body 33Y rotates, and theconveying coil in the toner conveying pipe 43Y rotates. Accordingly thetoner that dropped to the toner receiving part is conveyed in the tonerconveying pipe 43Y, and is replenished into the toner replenishing unit58Y in the developing unit 5Y.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to thefirst embodiment, the engaging part 63Y formed at the bottom part 62Yengages with the part 61Y of the bottle housing part 31Y. Moreover, theposition of the toner bottle 32Y is fixed in the bottle housing part 31Yby rotating the case 34Y so that the shutter 36Y opens the toner outletD. Accordingly, a user clearly feels a mechanical click when attachingeach toner bottle 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K to the apparatus body 100. Thisprevents the user from failing to properly set the toner bottles 32Y,32M, 32C, and 32K.

In the present embodiment, only toner is stored in the toner bottles32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K. However, in another type of an image formingapparatus in which a two-component developer containing toner andcarriers is provided to the developing unit 5, the two-componentdeveloper can be stored in the toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K.

Next an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment isdescribed below.

In the first embodiment, the engaging part formed at the bottom part ofthe bottle body engages with the part on the bottle housing part.Moreover, the position of the toner bottle is fixed in the bottlehousing part by rotating the case so that the shutter opens the toneroutlet. In the second embodiment, ribs are provided in the case of thetoner bottle. The ribs prevent gaps from forming between a holder partof the case and the opening of the bottle body that are in close contactwith each other. Moreover, the ribs prevent a gap from forming betweenthe holder part of the case and the opening of the bottle body when thecase is attached to the apparatus body.

The overall construction of the image forming apparatus according to thepresent invention is the same as that of the first embodiment as shownin FIG. 1. Moreover, the construction of the image forming unit is thesame as that of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 2. Furthermore,the state of the toner bottle mounted on the bottle housing unit in theimage forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is the samethat of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the top end of the toner bottle 32Yaccording to the present embodiment.

The three other toner bottles 32M, 32C, and 32K have substantially thesame construction as the toner bottle 32Y containing yellow toner,except that each contains a different color toner. Thus, only the tonerbottle 32Y containing yellow toner is described below; however, thepresent embodiment is also applicable to the three other toner bottles32M, 32C, and 32K.

In FIG. 14, the toner bottle 32Y includes a cylindrical bottle body 133as a container body. A cylindrical case 140 (bottle cap) functioning asa lid is provided on an opening 135 at the top end of the bottle body133. The case 140 rotates in relation with the bottle body 133. Thebottle body 133 includes spiral protrusions (spiral conveying part) 136that convey toner towards the opening 135, when the bottle body 133rotates. The case 140 includes a cap part 141 that has a toner outlet(toner replenishing opening) 144 provided at the bottom of thecircumferential surface. A holder part 142 is fixed to the cap part 141,and attaches the cap part 141 to the bottle body 133. A claw part 143provided on the holder part 142 engages with a gap of the bottle body133, so that the case 140 and the bottle body 133 are relatively rotatedwith respect to each other. A seal 145 is provided where the bottle body133 and the cap part 141 join, to prevent toner from leaking from thispart. The holder part 142 of the case 140 includes a handle 146 and ashutter 147. Moreover, a bottle gear 134 is provided near where the case140 is attached to the bottle body 133. The bottle gear 134 is an inputgear used as an input part, and is formed integrally with the bottlebody 133.

When attaching the toner bottle 32Y to the apparatus body 100, the cover30 shown in FIG. 1 is firstly opened upwards to expose the bottlehousing unit 31. As shown in FIG. 6, after the toner bottle 32Y ismounted on the bottle housing part 31Y, a user rotates the handle 146.This rotates the case 140 that is formed integrally with the handle 146,and moves the shutter 147 along a circumferential direction on the case140 so as to open the toner outlet (toner replenishing opening) 144. Atthe same time, the case 140 and the bottle housing part 31Y areconnected and fixed to each other. This mechanism is not the main pointof the present invention; thus, a detailed description is omitted. Thebottle gear 134 of the toner bottle 32Y set in the bottle housing part31Y meshes with, and is driven by, the driving gear (not shown) of theapparatus body 100.

On the other hand, when the toner bottle 32Y is detached from theapparatus body 100, a user rotates the handle 146 in an oppositedirection. Accordingly, the case 140 is released from the bottle housingpart 31Y. At the same time, the shutter 147 closes so as to close thetoner outlet (toner replenishing opening) 144. The user holds the handle146 while he detaches the toner bottle 32Y from the apparatus body 100.Because the toner bottle 32Y can be attached to/detached from theapparatus body 100 from above, the process of replacing the toner bottle32Y is easy to understand, and easy to carry out. Moreover, because thecase 140 has the handle 146, the toner bottle 32Y can be easily fixed tothe bottle housing unit 31 by rotating the case 140. When the tonerbottle 32Y is detached from the apparatus body 100, the shutter 147 doesnot open even if the handle 146 of the case 140 is rotated. Thus, whenreplacing the toner bottle 32Y, the toner is prevented from spilling outby accident, because the shutter 147 is kept shut.

As described above, the handle 146 is held when attaching/detaching thetoner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K. Thus, because only one end of thetoner bottle 32Y is held, the central rotational axis of the bottle body133 deviates from that of the case 140. This causes problems such astoner scattering and an increase in driving torque.

Accordingly, in the present invention, ribs 148 are provided on theinner circumferential surface as preventing members, so as to narrow agap where the bottle body 133 of the toner bottle 32Y overlaps with thecase 140. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the ribs 148 are located at aside opposing the handle 146 with respect to the central axis of thecase 140.

As described above, the case 140 has ribs 148 provided on the sideopposing the handle 146. Accordingly, even when a user holds the handle146 while rotating the toner bottle 32Y while setting it into theapparatus, and only one end of the toner bottle 32Y is held, the ribs148 prevent the bottle body 133 from loosening from the case 140. Thisprevents a gap from being formed between the case 140 and the bottlebody 133, so as to prevent toner scattering. Moreover, the case 140 isprevented from falling off, or nearly falling off, from the bottle body133. This prevents toner scattering and a torque increase. Furthermore,when the bottle body 133 is rotated, the ribs 148 restrict the centralrotational axis of the bottle body 133 from deviating too far from apredetermined position, such that a gap is not formed between theopening 135 and the holder part 142. Accordingly, the central rotationalaxis of the bottle body 133 is kept from deviating largely from thepredetermined position, thus preventing a torque increase.

Moreover, because the preventing members are ribs 148, an area of thepreventing members contacting the rotating bottle body 133 is small.This reduces torque caused by contacting the bottle body 133.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, there are three ribs148 extending in parallel to the central axis of the case 140, as shownin FIG. 15 to 17. A rib 148 a is located opposite to the handle 146, andribs 148 b are located on both sides of the rib 148 a. The rib 148 aprevents the bottle body 133 from falling off, or nearly falling off,from the case 140, by its own weight. When the toner bottle 32Y is beingset in the apparatus, the rib 148 a and the ribs 148 b prevent thebottle body 133 from falling off, or nearly falling off, from the case140, due to a load applied from the handle 146. This prevents tonerscattering and a torque increase. The number of ribs 148 is not limitedto three; any number of ribs 148 can be provided. However, too many ribs148 can possibly increase a sliding load when the bottle body 133rotates; thus, it is preferable to have only a few ribs 148.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the case 140 according to anotherembodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, ahemispherical projection 149 is provided as the preventing member at aposition opposite to the handle 146, similarly to the rib 148. Becausethe preventing member is the hemispherical projection 149 provided atthe edge of the case 140, an area of the preventing member contactingthe rotating bottle body 133 is considerably small. This reduces torquecaused by contacting the bottle body 133.

Still another embodiment is shown in FIG. 19. To prevent the bottle body133 from tilting downward by gravity after being set in the apparatus,another rib 148 c or the projection 149 is preferably provided at aposition corresponding to the bottom of the case 140. With thisconstruction, the rib 148 a and the ribs 148 b prevent, at threelocations, the bottle body 133 from tilting downward when a user holdsthe handle 146. Moreover, the rib 148 c prevents the toner bottle body133 from tilting downward when the bottle is set and driven in theapparatus.

An optimal height of the rib 148 was examined, using ribs of differentheights. Results are shown in table 1. The ribs used for this experimentsatisfies the following condition: as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, when thecentral axis of the bottle body 133 and that of the case 140 arealigned, a gap ΔL where the bottle body 133 overlaps with the case 140is 2 mm. Based on this condition, four ribs each forming a gap β betweenthe bottle body 133 of 0 mm, 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, and 1.5 mm, were used.

TABLE 1 Rotatability of toner Gapβ (mn) Toner scattering bottle 0 ◯(Doesnot X(Rib rubs toner bottle and scatter) increases load) 0.5 ◯(Does not◯(Good) scatter) 1 ◯(Does not ◯(Good) scatter) 1.5 X(Scatters) X(Axisshifts and increases load)

As shown in Table 1, the ribs that form a gap β of 1 mm and 0.5 mm didnot cause toner scattering, and rotatability of the container was good.The rib that forms a gap β of 0 mm did not cause toner scattering butdeteriorated the rotatability of the container due to a large loadcaused by the rib 148 rubbing against the toner bottle. Moreover, therib that forms a gap β of 1.5 mm caused toner scattering anddeteriorated the rotatability of the container because the central axisshifted and increased the rotating load.

The results say that when the gap ΔL is 2 mm, the height of the rib 148is preferably about 1 mm to 1.5 mm.

Favorable embodiments of the present invention are described above.However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, andvarious changes can be made.

For example, in the second embodiment, the toner bottle was taken as anexample of the powder container. However, the powder container is notlimited to the toner bottle; the powder container can be a container forstoring a developer that is a mixture of toner and carriers, or justcarriers.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to thesecond embodiment, the case 140 includes ribs 148 that prevent a gapfrom forming between the holder part 142 and the opening 135 that are inclose contact with each other. Moreover, the ribs 148 prevent a gap fromforming between the holder part 142 and the opening 135 when the case140 is attached to the apparatus body 100. Accordingly, even when a userholds the handle 146 while setting the toner bottle into the apparatus,and only one end of the toner bottle is held, the ribs 148 prevent thebottle body 133 from loosening from the case 140. This prevents a gapfrom being formed between the case 140 and the bottle body 133, so thattoner scattering is prevented. Moreover, after the case 140 is set inthe predetermined position of the apparatus body 100, the case 140 isrotated to be engaged with the engaging part of the apparatus body 100.Furthermore, when the bottle body 133 is rotated, the ribs 148 restrictthe central rotational axis of the bottle body 133 from deviating toofar from a predetermined position, such that a gap is not formed betweenthe opening 135 and the holder part 142. Accordingly, the centralrotational axis of the bottle body 133 is kept from deviating largelyfrom the predetermined position, thus preventing a torque increase.

The present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It is clearthat various changes may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. Moreover, the numbers of components, positions,shapes are not limited to these embodiments, and may be changed topreferable numbers of components, positions, shapes to carry out thepresent invention.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a specificembodiment for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims arenot to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying allmodifications and alternative constructions that may occur to oneskilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein setforth.

1. A powder container that can be detachably installed in a containerhousing unit of an image forming apparatus, the powder containercomprising: a container body including an opening located at a head ofthe container body; a fitting part extending from an end of the powdercontainer and configured to fit around a counterpart on the containerhousing unit such that, when a user rotates the container body on thecontainer housing, the counterpart on the container housing abuts thefitting part to block the rotation of the container body; and anengaging part located at a bottom of the container body, the engagingpart configured to be engaged with an engagement receiving part of thecontainer housing unit; a drive transferring member that rotatesintegrally with the container body; and a lid including a dischargeoutlet that further discharges powder discharged from the opening of thecontainer body; and a shutter that opens and closes the dischargeoutlet, wherein a position of the powder container in the containerhousing unit is determined by engaging the engaging part with theengagement receiving part, and operating the lid such that the shutteropens the discharge outlet.
 2. The powder container according to claim1, wherein the engaging part is formed in a concave and circular shape.3. The powder container according to claim 1, wherein the engagementreceiving part is formed in a convex shape.
 4. The powder containeraccording to claim 1, wherein the lid includes the fitting part thatfits to the counterpart of the container housing unit in conjunctionwith opening of the discharge outlet.
 5. The powder container accordingto claim 1, wherein the drive transferring member is a gear located on acircumferential surface of the container body and on a side of theopening.
 6. The powder container according to claim 1, wherein thecontainer body includes a spiral protrusion on an inner circumferentialsurface.
 7. The powder container according to claim 1, wherein thecontainer body stores toner.
 8. The powder container according to claim7, wherein the container body further stores a carrier.
 9. The powdercontainer according to claim 1, wherein the container body includes ahandle configured to be grasped by the user.
 10. An image formingapparatus comprising: a powder container that includes a container bodyincluding an opening located at a head of the container body; a fittingpart extending from an end of the powder container and configured to fitaround a counterpart on a container housing unit such that, when a userrotates the container body on the container housing, the counterpart onthe container housing abuts the fitting part to block the rotation ofthe container body; and an engaging part located at a bottom of thecontainer body, the engaging part being engaged with an engagementreceiving part of the container housing unit; a drive transferringmember that rotates integrally with the container body; and a lidincluding a discharge outlet that further discharges powder dischargedfrom the opening of the container body; and a shutter that opens andcloses the discharge outlet, wherein a position of the powder containerin the container housing unit is determined by engaging the engagingpart with the engagement receiving part, and operating the lid such thatthe shutter opens the discharge outlet, the powder container isdetachably installed in the container housing unit, and the containerhousing unit includes the engagement receiving part with which theengaging part of the powder container is engaged.
 11. The image formingapparatus according to claim 10, wherein the container housing unitincludes the counterpart to which the fitting part of the lid fits inconjunction with opening of the discharge outlet.
 12. The image formingapparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image forming apparatusincludes a driving unit that transfers a drive to the drive transferringmember.
 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, whereinthe container body includes a handle configured to be grasped by theuser.
 14. A powder container, comprising: a container body including aconveying part that conveys powder stored in the container body towardsan opening of the container body; and a lid that supports the containerbody such that the container body is rotatable, and discharges thepowder discharged from the opening through a discharge outlet, whereinthe lid includes a handle configured to be grasped by a user; acontacting part that makes a contact with the opening; and a preventingpart that prevents a gap from forming between the opening and thecontacting part, wherein the preventing part is a rib that is parallelto an axial direction of the powder container, and is positionedopposite to the handle with respect to a rotational central axis, andwherein the powder container is installed in an image forming apparatusby fixing the lid to the image forming apparatus.
 15. The powdercontainer according to claim 14, wherein the lid is rotated to beengaged with an engaging part of the image forming apparatus after beingset in a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus toinstall the powder container in the image forming apparatus, and thepreventing part prevents the gap from forming between the opening andthe contacting part by restricting the rotational central axis of thecontainer body from being deviated from a predetermined position whenthe lid is rotated by more than a predetermined amount.
 16. The powdercontainer according to claim 15, wherein the lid includes a handleconfigured to be grasped by a user, and the preventing part ishemispherical, and is positioned opposite to the handle with respect tothe rotational central axis on an edge of the lid near the containerbody.
 17. The powder container according to claim 14, wherein aplurality of preventing parts is provided.
 18. An image formingapparatus, comprising: a powder container that includes a container bodyincluding a conveying part that conveys powder stored in the containerbody towards an opening of the container body; and a lid that supportsthe container body such that the container body is rotatable, anddischarges the powder discharged from the opening through a dischargeoutlet, wherein the lid includes a handle configured to be grasped by auser; a contacting part that makes a contact with the opening; and apreventing part that prevents a gap from forming between the opening andthe contacting part, wherein the preventing part is a rib that isparallel to an axial direction of the powder container, and ispositioned opposite to the handle with respect to a rotational centralaxis, the powder container in which toner is contained can be installedin the image forming apparatus, and the powder container is installed inan image forming apparatus by fixing the lid to the image formingapparatus.
 19. The powder container according to claim 18, wherein thelid is configured to be rotated to be engaged with an engaging part ofthe image forming apparatus after being set in a predetermined positionof the image forming apparatus to install the powder container in theimage forming apparatus, and the preventing part prevents the gap fromforming between the opening and the contacting part by restricting arotational central axis of the container body from being deviated from apredetermined position when the lid is rotated by more than apredetermined amount.
 20. The powder container according to claim 19,wherein the preventing part is hemispherical, and is positioned oppositeto the handle with respect to the rotational central axis on an edge ofthe lid near the container body.